Winnowing the Nursing Workforce

The long projected shortage of nurses in the state has been temporarily resolved in recent years. Hospitals that used to be beggars have become choosers, by seeking to hire more nurses with bachelor degrees or even master’s degrees. While many in the field are eager to adapt and pursue higher education, others fear academic achievement is being favored over years of experience. We look at this development and the broad challenges facing the field of nursing.

Guests:

Tim Buckland: Reporter for the Union Leader. He recently wrote a three part series on the new demands on nursing.

Sue Fetzer: Associate Professor of Nursing at UNH and past President of the New Hampshire Nurses Association

Yvonne Caroccino: Registered nurse working at Elliot Hospital. She has an associate degree and is working towards her bachelor’s.

We’ll also hear from…

Linda Von Reyn: Chief Nursing Officer of Dartmouth Hitchcock and co-lead of the New Hampshire Action Coalition for the Future of Nursing which is an initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Institute of Medicine.

Karen Higgins: Co-President of National Nurses United, a nurses union. She is also a staff nurse at Boston Medical Center.